LONDON: Official recognition of the State of Palestine by major Western nations could help end the war in Gaza and is a “nightmare” for Hamas, the former head of Israel’s Shin Bet spy agency said.
Britain, France, Canada and Australia are among at least 10 nations that have made such declarations of recognition in recent days. They came as Ƶ and France co-hosted a landmark UN conference on Monday with the aim of galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
The move met with anger from Israel, which said such action would reward Hamas for the Oct. 7 attacks in 2023.
But Ami Ayalon, who once led the domestic secret service, told The Times newspaper that the UK’s recognition of Palestine would not only help to kill off the ideology of Hamas, it is also a blow to Israeli hardliners.
“It is a very, very clear message to these two radical, violent, spoiler groups that in a way have led the region for the last 30 years,” he said.
“It is a nightmare of Hamas. It is a collapse of their ideology. They will disappear as a major political player.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed on Sunday that Britain would officially recognize the State of Palestine in the face of “growing horror” in Gaza, and to help keep alive the prospect of a two-state solution.
President Emmanuel Macron of France formally announced his country’s backing of the Palestinian state during the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine on Monday. He said the time for peace had come and nothing justified the war in Gaza.
Ayalon said the recognition was “very positive” and sent an important message.
“Everywhere, but especially in the Middle East, this has great, great meaning, a value,” he said. “It is crucial to create hope.”
The declarations would isolate Israel, he added, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government no longer represented the views of most Israelis. He said that 70 percent of the population believes the government should end the war, bring home the remaining hostages taken during the Hamas-led raids two years ago, and start peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
Ayalon also described Israel’s recent strike on Qatar, targeting Hamas leaders gathered there, as a “mistake.” The strike, which missed its intended targets from the group’s negotiating team but killed six other people, including a Qatari security officer, was condemned by the Gulf Cooperation Council and global leaders.
“They (the military) took a decision without considering the regional ramifications it could have,” Ayalon said of the attack. “We Israelis, we made mistakes more than once by not understanding the consequences.”
Ayalon, 80, was head of Shin Bet between 1995 and 2000, before becoming an Israeli Labor Party politician and minister.
He is among a raft of former senior Israeli military and security officials who have criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, resulted in famine in some areas, and been branded a genocide by UN-commissioned experts.
There also appears to be growing opposition within the present-day Israeli security establishment. The country’s external security agency, Mossad, refused to carry out a ground operation in Qatar targeting the Hamas officials, the Washington Post reported.
And military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly opposed Netanyahu’s plans to expand the conflict in Gaza through a full military takeover of Gaza City, which is currently unfolding.
